under hammer project

[Mike]

Hi.
i am looking at building a under hammer pistol and may be a rifle. The big problem here in New Zealand is finding parts. There have been a few guns built by kiwi gunsmiths but pre the terrorist started useing these parts so cant get them exported.
Still interested so this will not deter me from going ahead.
Question: has any one built one and what Calibre,  which barrel, any issues.
look forward to the imput

[Blair]

Hi Mike,

The under hammer type firearms were never were never very popular here in the US. The caps had a tendency to fall off when the hammer was cocked.
A company named "Green" produced an under hammer rifle that was a bolt action rifle in, I believe a .58 cal. Sold a few to the US Government, but it was never very popular. You maybe able to do a Google search for these arms?

The few examples of the civilian models I have seen use the trigger guard as a hammer mainspring..

There is also a single action variation where the hammer is either in the side, or on top of the barrel. These are often referred to as "Mule Ear" rifles and pistols.
Again, they were more of a novelty than being very common here in the US.
I hope this offers some help?
My best,
 Blair

[Mike]

Thanks Blair.
I have a few picture of ones I want, will keep looking.

Regards
MIKE

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[Professor Marvel]

Greetings My Dear Mike -
I have an Underhammer in .45 by H&A and an H&A action to which I attached a .50 TC Hawken .

They are dirt-simple , if one is at all handy with a hacksaw and file one can re-create one of these.

please hang on, I will get out to the shop & tear one down for pictures. They only have a frame to hold the bits,
a hammer, and a trigger and barrel! the tigger guard is the mainspring and I forget how the trigger spring is rigged.

yhs
prof marvel

[Colt Fanning]

Howdy,
The Browning Harmonica guns were under hammer.  Trailrider and I built a reproduction of one in .45 cal.  The lock parts were from an under hammer boot pistol kit made by Numrich in the 1960's.
Regards
Preston C 

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I loved the H&A underhammer that I once owned. Never gave me an alibi. Any failures were mine alone.

Ron Smith, a gunsmith and barrel maker in Alberta made an underhammer with the action profile of a Winchester hi-wall. One can use any hunk of steel that can provide a butt socket, a threaded hole into which a barrel can be screwed & breach pulg through the other end and a slot for a hammer & trigger. The mainspring was arranged to form the trigger guard.

[Mike]

Thanks, look forward to the pictures
m

[Professor Marvel]

My Dear Mike-

Well, I had great plans to get out into the trash heap workshop and work my way thru the man traps maze to get to where I think I put my underhammer and take it apart for photos. Instead I got delayed by two dr appts, and blood tests.

Oh, and I bought two rifles - a mowrey replica in .58 ( ready to shoot) and an original Byrkit Halfstock percussion rifle in ~ .40
that badly needs the bore scrubbed and some wood restoration... both for $140. Those I will get pics up REAL SOON.
 
So instead, to give you something to work with right away, I checked the interwebs on your behalf and Holy Moly look what I found:

http://underhammers.blogspot.com/2010/09/underhammertrigger-geometry.html

here are some dandy photos of the H&A style and parts, based on a tube-like action - John Taylor does some great work:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?71057-anyone-shoot-an-underhammer

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/johnptaylor/brassUHparts.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/johnptaylor/brassframeUHparts2.jpg

http://www.longrifles-pr.com/images/UnderhammerParts.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/johnptaylor/brassUHafterblue.jpg

http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/7403135749/11024398/weeks-xmas-2011-050.jpg_thumbnail0.jpg

http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/1248160811/4309318/ACF6655.jpg

here's some useful stuff
http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/7403135749/10697083/acfbf1.jpg
http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/7403135749/10697083/417d41f4bebf0f67652802c12e27ad0e.jpg

some great examples from Wade Ingram - he's not building them anymore :-( :
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_j7PMWDJke08/SHgJ1hJ0zAI/AAAAAAAAAKM/ohspnHFgGP0/s1600/Ingrham+Action.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_j7PMWDJke08/SHglO1wGsDI/AAAAAAAAALE/8aLxp3ZAfAU/s1600/Ingrham+Pistol+Action.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_j7PMWDJke08/SHgmohkbTiI/AAAAAAAAALM/048juHg4k-g/s1600/Ingrham+Rifle+Action.JPG


here is a photo of a flintlock underhammer
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/johnptaylor/flintlockunderhammer.jpg

Here is some stuff from a guy called "metalshaper" - he's good!
here is a diagram of the works
http://s5.photobucket.com/user/metalshaper/media/UHpistol-1.jpg.html

here are some more example diagrams
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/metalshaper/Underhammers041.jpg

ooooh this one is interesting!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/metalshaper/BP4_mod.jpg

more guts
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/metalshaper/Explodedunderhammerb.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/metalshaper/KGrHqJh4E-byvCz4dBP0SY47OM60_57.jpg

his "Cook" lock is another underhammer version- they are all rather simple
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y181/metalshaper/b1acac53-201d-40b2-83e9-77bd52e2c855_zpsa07febbd.jpg

Since parts are so pricey, hard to import & etc, I am still gonna get out my H&A's and take photots and take them apart.
If I put the parts on the laser printer/scanner with a graph overlay I will get a great "to scale" jpg I can post, then one can
print it off, glue it to steel, and cut the parts out!

yhs
prof ( soon to be officially retired on July 5! ) marvel

[Mike]

Pofessor.
Thanks for all tne info, I have ordered casting for the hammer, trigger and guard through a contact. Will start looking for a barrel and wood .
it may take me a few months fto get it togeather but will lost when finished.
Found out at the weekend there are three pistols and one rifle that my club members have.

Thanks
M